The Best (and Worst) of the West! Reviews and Observations on B-Westerns by Boyd Magers Review Archives

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Printing this webpage: I would suggest you do NOT attempt to print this.  When last I checked, this would require a bunch of pages to print.  Plus the reviews are not in any particular order, so it would be difficult to wade through all those pages looking for a film title, western hero, etc.  If you wish to have this information locally on your PC, I would recommend you click on "File" and then do a "save as" in Internet Explorer or Netscape. And save this page on your hard drive (as an .htm or .html file type).  If you also want Boyd's picture, the red stars and garbage can, put your mouse pointer on each image, click with your right mouse button, and do a "save image or picture as" to the same area on your hard drive where the main page will be saved.  The Search/Find function noted above will work on webpages saved to your hard disk.

Individual film reviews - as well as the complete The Best (and Worst) of the West! film review collection - is copyright ©2000-2007 by Boyd Magers. All rights reserved.

The Ratings

Superior

Good

OK

Poor

A real dud !

 FIGHTING LAWMAN (1953 Allied Artists)
Fighting Marshal Wayne Morris goes after three men who robbed a bank three years ago in Flagstaff (John Kellogg, Harry Lauter, John Pickard). Now living under assumed names in Prescott, it's the greedy sister (Virginia Grey) of a fourth bandit (Rick Vallin), now dead, who proves their undoing. Bit different in plot, but still only a mediocre affair. It's acknowledged among B-western aficionados that either Wayne Morris or Johnny Carpenter made the last 'series' B-westerns. Born in 1914 in L.A., Wayne Morris was a name to reckon with at Warner Bros. before WWII with a string of successes that include KID GALAHAD, MEN ARE SUCH FOOLS, BROTHER RAT, RETURN OF DR. X, FLIGHT ANGELS, VALLEY OF THE GIANTS, SMILING GHOST and BAD MEN OF MISSOURI. During WWII, flight lieutenant Morris flew F6F Hellcats off the U.S.S. Essex in the South Pacific where he became an American ace, credited with seven confirmed (and one probable) in action over Wake, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He flew 57 missions and was awarded three Distinguished Flying Crosses and two Air medals. Released from the service in 1945, he picked up where he left off at WB, but now in second lead position to Dane Clark, Ronald Reagan and Gary Cooper in films such as TASK FORCE and DEEP VALLEY. His one big starrer was the popular YOUNGER BROTHERS ('49). Having gained a bit of weight, the '50s saw him out at WB and freelancing at Columbia and U.A. including STAGE TO TUCSON w/Rod Cameron and his own SIERRA PASSAGE ('51) at Monogram. Seven more leads followed at Monogram/Allied Artists between '52-'54 with TWO GUNS AND A BADGE being the last - and often accepted 'last' B-western made. FIGHTING LAWMAN was written by the prolific (and talented) Daniel B. Ullman (1918-1979) who began in the business as a script supervisor. Ullman also scripted Morris' STAR OF TEXAS, MARKSMAN and TWO GUNS AND A BADGE. He also wrote over 30 other westerns for Whip Wilson, Rod Cameron, Bill Elliott, Don Barry, George Montgomery and Joel McCrea as well as TVers like BIG VALLEY and WILD WILD WEST.

 BILLY THE KID IN TEXAS (1940 PRC)
Through a set of circumstances Billy the Kid (Bob Steele) and pal Fuzzy St. John become the law in Corral City as they're hired to force out a gang of toughs headed up by John Merton and Charlie King. After Billy beats up Charlie in one of their routine filmic set-tos, the gang send for gunman Carleton Young to rub out Billy. But oops - Young is really Billy's brother! To complicate matters further, leading lady Terry Walker finds an old wanted poster of Billy the Kid. Steele made 6 as the good-badman for the '40-'41 season before he left PRC to become a Mesquiteer at Republic. He was replaced at PRC by Buster Crabbe who made the Billy role his own, still with Fuzzy as sidekick. Fuzzy was really being utilized by PRC from '40-'43 appearing (unlike any other sidekick before or since) in two series simultaneously - the Billy the Kids (Steele and Crabbe) and the Lone Riders (Houston and Livingston). Post '43 he finished up with Crabbe til '46, then hooked up with Lash LaRue in '47, still at PRC.

 LAW RIDES AGAIN (1943 Monogram)
Underhanded Indian agent Kenneth Harlan, aided by "escaped" prisoner Jack LaRue, is cheating the Arizona Indians of their government allotted cattle shipments, causing the Indians to raid stagecoaches and wagon trains. The law rides again as Hoot Gibson and Ken Maynard (The Trail Blazers) help stage line owner Betty Miles and Sheriff Kenne Duncan restore peace. Old timer Hank Bell - who's usually just a townsperson or looker on - takes an active part as one of Harlan's henchmen along with John Merton and Chief Thunder Cloud. Yep, the same Chief Thunder Cloud who five films later would himself become a Trail Blazer, although in this one he's just a bad Indian. Maynard debuts his famous, "Well, here we go again" line whenever Hooter has one of his brilliant ideas. Some hard riding action sequences, made all the more exciting by Frank Sanucci's chase music. The famous stock footage shot from WAR PAINT ('26) of Indians crossing the Wind River near Lander, WY, is utilized. This is the last Maynard film directed by Alan James who had been associated with Ken off and on since the '30s.

 FORTY THIEVES (1944 United Artists)
Sheriff Hopalong Cassidy is voted out of office in a rigged election run by Douglas Dumbrille and his 40 thieves (Glenn Strange, Wally Wales, Jack Rockwell, Bob Kortman, etc.). They elect a figurehead sheriff, milquetoast Kirk Alyn, but Hoppy (with his pals Andy Clyde and Jimmy Rogers) bring single-handed justice to ballot box stuffers. Leading lady Louise Currie is wasted as judge Robert Frazer's daughter. This was the last Hoppy film produced by Harry 'Pop' Sherman; 54 (mostly) classic B-westerns over 9 years. It's all out action expertly handled by veteran Hoppy director Les Selander - who moved on to Republic. Within two years, Bill Boyd bought the rights to Hoppy from Sherman for a quarter of a million and the rest is history.

 BOSS OF RAWHIDE (1943 PRC)
Dave (Tex) O'Brien and Jim Newill starred in 14 range sagas at PRC from late '42 to mid '44. (Newill left and Tex Ritter finished off the series with O'Brien in 8 more.) At first the series was co-produced by Alfred Stern and Arthur Alexander but by the 7th title, they were alternating films as producer. In this, the 8th of the series (produced by Stern), a distinct drawback is the unfunny, ludicrous minstrel show staged midway by Guy Wilkerson, Billy Bletcher and Dan White in blackface. Unusual for a B-western is the sheer glee that spreads over Jack Ingram's face in extreme close up as he's about to kill someone with his high powered rifle. But O'Brien stalks him down with deadly resolve after Ingram guns down Dave's ranger father (Robert Hill). Robert F. Hill (1886-1966) was a writer/director who began in silents (GREAT RADIUM MYSERY serial in 1919) and worked into the '50s, occasionally moonlighting as an actor. James Newill is an often overlooked and under appreciated singer-just listen here to his "Ride On Vaquero" to fully appreciate his fine talent.

 OVERLAND MAIL ROBBERY (1943 Republic)
It's action packed B-westerns like this that put the Wild in Bill Elliott who, as a Texas Ranger, switches identities with Boston-come-west stageline owner, Kirk Alyn, who's not wise to the ways of the west. They, along with Gabby Hayes and Anne Jeffreys, have their hands full with a family of stage bandit killers headed up by Alice Fleming, her two sons, dog heavy Roy Barcroft and banker Weldon Heyburn (whose bickering bad guy dialogue really brightens up this film) and cousin Nancy Gay, a devious femme fatale. Watch for Maxine Doyle (director Bill Witney's wife) in a small role. Written by Bob Williams. Directed by John English. This is Republic at its prime!

 RIDE, RYDER, RIDE (1949 Eagle Lion)
Red Ryder (Jim Bannon) is pitted in a gun duel with crooked saloon owner Frenchy Beaumont (Edwin Max). Jim Bannon and this group of four Cinecolor B's were closer in looks and concept to Fred Harman's RED RYDER comic strip than any of the Republic versions (Elliott, Lane and certainly Barry). Bannon wanted the part so badly, he dyed his hair red to impress the producer, Jerry Thomas, and instantly got the role. Expert rider Don Kay 'Little Brown Jug' Reynolds was Little Beaver, onetime silent actress Marin Sais was perfect as Auntie Duchess and Emmett Lynn was a hoot as Buckskin. The Cinecolor added greatly to the productions ... after all, this was 'Red' Ryder - the color was nearly essential. Strip creator Fred Harman was consulted in order to keep the wardrobe for all the characters akin to the strip, something Republic had never really bothered with. The pictures looked good and were well received, but after four, the father-son producing team of Harry and Jerry Thomas threw in the towel. According to Jim, "The real fly in the sugar bowl was Jack Schwartz, the clod who was Harry Thomas' partner (moneyman). Schwartz insisted on making (non-western) features with stars that were over the hill or didn't have enough box office appeal to get up the hill in the first place. Harry was faced with the back-breaking chore of going on the road to try to book these turkeys. About the only way he could manage to get exhibitors to take them was to agree to let them have the Ryders at a reduced rate. The result was that the company was just barely getting the production cost back on our Red Ryder series." After four films, the Thomas' called it quits. Bannon went on to do an unsold RED RYDER TV pilot (for another outfit), co-starred with Whip Wilson in five of his Monograms, starred on the Gene Autry produced CHAMPION TV series ('55-'56) and guested on dozens of TV westerns as well as hooking up for a lengthy run on the NBC soap opera HAWKINS FALLS ('50-'55).

 OUTLAW JUSTICE (1932 Majestic)
Outlaw Panamint Jack Hoxie and his wonder horse Dynamite, who single hoofedly steals the show, save the ranch for Dorothy Gulliver and her wayward brother from a saloon slicker and his gang headed up by a fairly thin Charlie King. Jack Kirk and his boys sing a song or two. Hoxie's series of six for Majestic marked the end of a screen career that began in 1910, hitting a high from 1923-1927 when he was one of Universal's top range riders. Following a 'difference of opinion' with Universal head Carl Laemmle over a new contract, Hoxie reportedly tore up the document and walked out. He immediately signed to do a silent serial at Mascot but was otherwise off the screen touring with circuses til producer Henry Goldstone signed him for 6 at Majestic. Majestic's non-western product had a polished look, far better than most independents of the time, but the big, beefy, awkward, semi-illiterate Hoxie represented an antiquated form of screen presence. Time had passed him by. Oliver Drake's scripts didn't help, often making Jack appear as a country bumpkin. (No wonder GOLD, the only one not written by Drake, is Jack's best.) After the six (far from) Majestics, Jack left the screen behind, trading on past glories on the sawdust trail til 1959 when he settled down as rancher in Oklahoma. Trivia: Dynamite, the horse Jack used in talkies, is actually Scout, his silent screen horse using an alias.

 LONE RIDER AND THE BANDIT (1942 PRC)
In 1853, Joaquin Murrieta, who terrorized the Mother Lode region of California, was reportedly killed. But now there's reason to believe Murrieta rides again as a new wave of robberies plagues the miners of Big Horn. Sheriff Dennis Moore sends for George Houston, the Lone Rider, to help out. Shades of Don Diego/Zorro, George portrays a foppish wimp musician to throw the outlaws (Glenn Strange, Jack Ingram, Carl Sepulveda) off guard while he impersonates Murrieta. Dennis Moore looks dapper, fit and trim. A good actor, it's a shame he stayed second banana to others like Houston, Wakely, Rough Riders, etc. He should have been a first stringer - but as close as he came was as a member of the Range Busters in their last four titles and in a few serials like RAIDERS OF GHOST CITY, PURPLE MONSTER STRIKES, PERILS OF THE WILDERNESS and BLAZING THE OVERLAND TRAIL. Former Tex Ritter sidekick Slim Andrews has a brief comedy bit with Fuzzy St. John and Eddie Dean has a bit as a scruffy miner in the bar admiring George Houston's singing voice. Dean would do better himself within a few years. The soundtrack on this particular Lone Rider sounds even worse than the usual inferior PRC track.

 NIGHT RIDERS (1939 Republic)
To oppose the forged Spanish land grants of phony Don Luis de Serrano (George Douglas), the 3 Mesquiteers (John Wayne, Ray Corrigan, Max Terhune) become the white hooded, night riding Los Capaqueros. Tom Tyler (later a Mesquiteer himself) is one of Douglas' Army and Kermit Maynard is the Sheriff. This may be the only screen appearance of an actor as President Garfield (Is that Francis Sayles?). Slick, fast hour you'd come to expect from Republic. Remade as ARIZONA TERRORS ('42) with Don Barry. George Sherman directed both, although both are credited to different scripters.

 WINNING OF THE WEST (1953 Columbia)
Ranger Gene Autry has a problem bringing to justice protection outlaws Robert Livingston and Gregg Barton because his kid brother, Richard Crane, is mixed up with them. A year later, Crane became TV's popular ROCKY JONES, SPACE RANGER. With Smiley Burnette as Gene's sidekick and Gail Davis as a newspaper woman. I'm not a Smiley Burnette fan, but he and Gene harmonize brightly on "Fetch Me Down My Trusty 45", written by Burnette.

 GRAND CANYON TRAIL (1948 Republic)
Crooked mining engineer Robert Livingston convinces eastern mine owner Charles Coleman that his silver mine is worthless so he can rip it off for himself. Jane Frazee, Coleman's secretary, doesn't believe and comes west to investigate, telling everyone she's Coleman's daughter. Roy Rogers and his friends (Andy Devine; Foy Willing and the Riders of the Purple Sage - their first with Roy) take a hand as they've invested heavily in mining stock. The only one who knows the location of the real mine is ol' Emmett Lynn, but Livingston and his gang (Roy Barcroft, Ken Terrell, Zon Murray) kidnap him and hold him in hiding til he talks. Maybe not one of Roy and director Bill Witney's best, but still far superior to oater fare coming from Monogram, PRC and others in '48. Songs are minimal - only 3 - none memorable. Interesting to see old time Laurel and Hardy comic foil James Finlayson as a sheriff. The English born Finlayson only appeared in three westerns - one every 10 years, '27, '37 and '48. Originally in Trucolor, but only b/w prints seem to survive. Incidentally, not shot on location at the famous Grand Canyon as Republic publicity of the time indicated, but at Red Rock Canyon in northern California.

 CYCLONE PRAIRIE RANGERS (1944 Columbia)
As action packed as they come with 6 wild swinging free-for-alls as Charles Starrett, Dub 'Cannonball' Taylor and their musical pals Jimmie Davis, Jimmy Wakely and his Saddle Pals round up 5th columnists who destroy crops and do everything they can to stop the food supply from west to east and disrupt the war effort. Although loaded with action and good songs, it's somehow formulamatic and mechanically routine as if everyone is just going through the same old maneuvers ... action, song, plot, action, song, plot, yada, yada, yada. Foretelling the future, Starrett's sidekick Dub 'Cannonball' Taylor, has several scenes alone with Jimmy Wakely whom he'd saddle up with in Jimmy's Monogram series come 1947. Foy Willing and Al Sloey (of the Riders of the Purple Sage) do a nice job with Wakely on Gene Autry's "Be Honest With Me". This film was disapproved for showings abroad by the office of censorship because it was a "completely lawless western featuring a gang of cowboy saboteurs led by a Nazi agent". The Office particularly objected to the destruction of food and dairy products and the demolition of machinery and trains.

 PHANTOM STALLION (1954 Republic)
The last 'true' series B-western. And after 24 years (of talkies) it ends with a whimper not a bang as Rex Allen goes up against Carla Balenda who, with ranch foreman Don Haggerty, are rustling horses by blaming a wild horse herd for the thefts. This was the last of 19 starring Bs for Rex at Republic who, by now, in cost cutting measures, had cut the songs from Rex's films, reduced the running times from 67 to 60 and then 54 min. and even replaced ace action director William Witney with Harry Keller for Rex's last two starrers. In 1956, Rex was back at Republic to star in 39 TV episodes of FRONTIER DOCTOR, 37 of them directed by Bill Witney. In 1957 Rex said, "I didn't do any singing in the FRONTIER DOCTOR series, I play it pretty straight, trying to make the doctor warm, humane and respected. Frankly, we've aimed our program at an adult audience. We've kept enough of the old western flavor, however, to keep everyone happy." The series debuted in syndication in June 1956. Rex kept busy with personal appearances at fairs and rodeos, then became 'the voice' for Walt Disney productions. He had several hit records for Decca and Mercury ("Crying In the Chapel", "Don't Go Near The Indians" - which he didn't like and almost didn't record). In the '60s, his voice became well known as a commercial spokesman for Purina, Tony Lama Boots and others. Rex died of a heart attack Dec. 17, 1999, in Tucson, AZ.

 DEAD MAN'S GOLD (1948 Western Adventure)
First of Lash LaRue's films for Ron Ormond's Western Adventure Pictures, following his highly successful series at PRC as Cheyenne Davis, finds he and Fuzzy St. John riding into Gold Valley to help an old friend's niece. And with sidekick Fuzzy's nose itching, plenty of trouble is just around the corner from John Cason, Terry Frost, Pierce Lyden and bossman Lane Bradford. Bradford was badman John Merton's son. His brother is minor player Bob LaVarre (the actual family name). Lash pops his bullwhip five times! 'Old timer' Cliff Taylor, seen in at least 9 of LaRue's last 12 films (and on LaRue's LASH OF THE WEST TV series) was June Carr Ormond's (wife of producer Ron Ormond) father. Taylor once ran Coffee Cliff's, a popular Broadway nightspot where gangster Jack 'Legs' Diamond and other nefarious luminaries congregated after-hours. The on-screen prologue mentions "legendary lawmen Wild Bill Hickok and Wyatt Erpt" (!?!) Was this on purpose or ?

 RENEGADES OF THE WEST (1932 RKO)
All the excitement - a wild fistfight melee and wagon chase - comes at the end of this otherwise quite odd Tom Keene B-western. The first 45 minutes is filled with a baby contest, a stuttering doctor (Roscoe Ates), a drink/stealing barfly, singing rustlers, light romance with Betty Furness and a humorous and growing friendship and respect between Tom and rustler Rockcliffe Fellowes. This was screenwriter Casey Robinson's only directorial effort ... no wonder. The result is dismal. Robinson went on to write CAPTAIN BLOOD, DARK VICTORY, KINGS ROW, NOW, VOYAGER and even contributed greatly (uncredited) to the love story of CASABLANCA. Good writer, bad director. The executive producer of the Keenes at this time (for five films) was famous producer David O. Selznick (GONE WITH THE WIND). Watch for John Ford regular Jack Pennick as one of the rustlers. Harry Carey had starred in a silent version of this story based on Frank Richardson's short story, THE MIRACLE BABY.

 LAWLESS VALLEY (1932 Kent)
Cattlemen's Association lawman Lane Chandler rides into lawless valley to bring back El Lobo (J. P. McGowan) only to discover the outlaw is (surprise!) his father. LIGHTNING TRIGGERS ('35) with Reb Russell (reviewed earlier) is a remake of this lame, unimaginative directorial job from J. P. McGowan. They really said it in this movie - "We'll head 'em off at the pass."

 CLEARING THE RANGE (1931 Allied)
Hooper Atchley kills his banker partner Edward Hearn when Hearn discovers Atchley is an embezzler. When Hearn's brother, Hoot Gibson, returns to town, most everyone, including his old girl Sally Eilers (Hoot's real life wife), see him as a real wimp, but by night he rides as the black clad El Capitan to bring the killer to justice and help neighboring ranchers who are being driven off their land by the swindling Atchley. Good location work at Vasquez Rocks. After Hoot's departure from Universal, this was the first of eleven he made for M. H. Hoffman's Allied Pictures. Hoffman had known Hoot during his starring days at Universal where Max was general manager. He formed Allied in '31 on the basis of having signed Hoot who'd been released from his Universal contract. Hoffman produced 22 films for Allied through '34, half of them starring Hoot, of which CLEARING THE RANGE was the first. Hoffman used the profits from Hoot's oaters to finance his real interest, the filming of famous literary properties such as VANITY FAIR and UNHOLY LOVE from 'Madame Bovary'.

 DAKOTA LIL (1950 20th Century Fox)
After all his heroic years, it's hard to visualize Rod Cameron as a murderous bandit (he viciously strangles a train guard in the first scene), but bad he is which brings Secret Service agent George Montgomery to Mexico to work his way undercover with counterfeiter Dakota Lil (Marie Windsor) and her accomplice, Cameron as Kid Curry of the Hole In the Wall Gang, who is partners with Butch Cassidy (Walter Sande). This film actually contains the line, "What's a smart girl like you doing in a broken down Cantina like this?" (Veteran Maurice Geraghty wrote that!) Although Marie says Marni Nixon dubbed her singing, UCLA records indicate Anita Ellis was hired for the job. Nixon, a popular 'dubber of stars' singing voices, dubbed Natalie Wood in WEST SIDE STORY among others, while jazz singer Ellis dubbed Rita Hayworth in GILDA (and others) and Vera Ellen in THREE LITTLE WORDS. Look for one time star Jack Perrin in a small role.

 OVERLAND TRAILS (1948 Monogram)
Johnny Mack Brown dusts off the old Bob Steele plot as he (and pal Raymond Hatton) go after his father's killer. Bill Kennedy and his mob (Pierce Lyden, Holly Bane, Bob Woodward, Boyd Stockman) partnership and grubstake miners, then, if they strike it rich, the gang bumps them off and takes over their full claim 'legally'. A notch above the average Brown from this time period, with several striking plot twists and fine built-in suspense from director Lambert Hillyer. Good support from Virginia Belmont, Virginia Carroll, Steve Darrell and Ted Adams. The script (by prolific Jess Bowers aka Adele Buffington) with its multiple plot elements (which involves a suicide, highly unusual for a B-western) stretch beyond B confines giving me the idea the story might have been intended for one of those bigger budgeted Monogram/Allied Artists B+ westerns of the period.

 CAVALRY (1936 Republic)
Union Cavalry officer Bob Steele, fresh from the Civil War, heads west under special orders from President Lincoln to protect a new telegraph line being installed to stop a plot by former Confederates (Hal Price, Karl Hackett, Ed Cassidy and real life Steele pal Perry Murdock) to form an independent country. The girl is petite Frances Grant. Watch for silent star William Desmond as a Cavalry officer. Whale of a bar room brawl between Bob and Karl Hackett. I don't know where Bob got that floppy, wide brimmed hat, but I'm glad he never wore it again. Most of the Indian attack footage is recycled silent stock. Budd Buster has the titular role of Bob's sidekick - but I'd bet a buck it's also Budd portraying President Lincoln in silhouette. Good premise, routinely executed.

 ROCKIN' IN THE ROCKIES (1945 Columbia)
One of Pat Buttram's classic lines was, "More fun than being on location with Mary Beth Hughes." Interpret that as you will, ROCKIN' IN THE ROCKIES with the 3 Stooges, Hoosier Hot Shots and Mary Beth Hughes is a barrel of fun. Oddly, it's the only time Columbia allowed the Stooges into one of these modern-west musical romps with the Hot Shots. Along for the ride are former Hoppy sidekick Jay Kirby, Columbia comic regular Vernon Dent, western vet Forrest Taylor and the Spade Cooley Band (w/Tex Williams). The plots mean very little in these things, other than to hang together a few songs. Just sit back and join the fun.

 PRAIRIE LAW (1940 RKO)
George O'Brien's wit, charm and fists bring justice to rustler Cy Kendall (who butchers cattle) as well as crooked judge Paul Everton trying to move the county seat for political gain. Bright, clever script by Doris Scroeder and Arthur Jones with a fine action windup. Expertly directed, as most of the O'Briens were, by David Howard. Ray Whitley sings the memorable and hum-able "Rocky Road". In the unusual sidekicks category is normally mean as nails Charles 'Slim' Whitaker (1893-1960) as Silent. I reckon RKO, after letting Ray Whitley and Chill Wills have a crack at it, gave ol' Slim the go ahead for a couple - and he's downright good at it. As a heavy, the paunchy Whitaker began in silents as early as 1916 and came up against every cowboy star from Pete Morrison, Bob Custer and William Farnum to Tom Tyler, Gene Autry, Tim Holt, Lash LaRue and, finally, Eddie Dean in 1948. Over 30 years of villainy. The last year of his life was spent as a short order cook in a L.A. cafe.

 RUSTLERS (1949 RKO)
When rustlers (led by Steve Brodie) holding cattle for ransom are paid off with Addison Richards' (and daughter Martha Hyer) marked money, which Chito (Richard Martin) then wins on a roulette wheel in a saloon owned by rustler boss Frank Fenton, it's naturally Tim and Chito who are arrested for being the Salt River Gang. Complicating matters is the fact Sheriff Harry Shannon is the real boss of the rustlers. Lois Andrews (1924-1968) as a dance hall gal-pal of Chito's really has a better role than Hyer. (Lois even gets to ride Tim's horse, Lightning.) However, Hyer was on her way to better things, as she was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in SOME CAME RUNNING ('59). One of the favorite ploys of the Holt films was to have Tim cornered or trapped by outlaws with Chito and the posse (ranchers, whatever) racing to the rescue. That device is used quite well here with Tim trapped in a burning building! The picturesque Jack Garner ranch near Idyllwild stands in for Addison Richards' ranch. Tim must have enjoyed this one - he gets to spank the lovely Martha Hyer! Isn't it odd Tim Holt was Dave, Dick, Tim, Kansas etc. but Richard Martin was always Chito Jose Gonzales Bustamonte Rafferty in every film.

 RANGERS RIDE (1948 Monogram)
Marshall Reed's corrupt state police (Pierce Lyden, Bob Woodward, Carol Henry) place the blame for the wave of lawlessness on Jimmy Wakely and his band of ex-Texas Rangers (Dub Taylor, Bud Osborne). Even leading lady Virginia Belmont and Riley Hill, honest state police commissioner Steve Clark's lawyer nephew, find it hard to believe singing cowboy Wakely is innocent when he's framed for the murder of Clark. Good story, decent action but nothing out of the ordinary. Wakely is backed up on his three songs by Arthur Smith and Don Weston. Fact: When the Texas Rangers disbanded, the State Police took their place from 1870-1873. After that stormy three year career marked by graft and corruption, the State Police were disbanded and the Texas Rangers, which still exist today, were reorganized.

 WHIRLWIND RAIDERS (1948 Columbia)
It's 1873 - the Texas Rangers have disbanded only to be replaced by an evil crew known as the State Police (led by Fred Sears and Jack Ingram) who loot and tax the locals into poverty. Enter Charles Starrett as an ex-Texas Ranger and his alter-ego, The Durango Kid, who rides hell for leather over the corrupters until they are abolished. Watch for a spectacular horse to wagon team transfer early on by Jocko Mahoney, doubling for Starrett. Sometime director of this series, Fred Sears, is the main heavy - and he seems just too laid back for this entry. Smiley Burnette's there as usual (this time he's a tinkerer) being pestered by little Don Kay Reynolds and Maudie Prickett. Doye O'Dell's Radio Rangers provide the music, including their hit, "Give Me Texas". All in all-routine, following the traditional Durango format of action, plot, music, comedy, repeat ... Nancy Saunders as the femme interest is completely wasted.

 QUICK TRIGGER LEE (1931 Big 4)
Some of the most lecherous "heh-heh-heh ..." over the top acting ever seen in a poverty row western comes from Lee de Cordova as a banker foreclosing on Richard Carlyle's mine. Carlyle's friend, Quick Trigger Lee (Bob Custer) comes to his aid. At one point, Custer rescues leading lady Caryl Lincoln from a holdup only to find he's ridden smack into the middle of a movie scene. At this point, some of the bit part lines are delivered so badly, I'm sure they were read by real propmen and technicians. Why Custer is called 'Quick Trigger' is beyond me, as he never wears, draws or shoots a gun in the whole picture. Directed by J. P. McGowan with his usual lack of any great ability. Cowboy cancer alert: Bob smokes a cigarette in his first scene.

 TEN WANTED MEN (1955 Columbia)
Battle of the big ranchers in Arizona. Respected and well liked rancher Randolph Scott opposes jerk upstart Richard Boone who has the hots for Mexican girl Donna Martell who is really in love with Scott's nephew, Skip Homeier, who's a bit of an Eastern dude jerk (at first) himself. Out of control in a quest for power, Boone brings a roster of gunmen and outlaws (apparently the title's ten wanted men) to rustle and drive Scott and the small ranchers out of the territory. Leading the gang is vicious Leo Gordon, who eventually usurps Boone's power and must face Scott in the final knockdown drag out. With Dennis Weaver (nicely done as the town sheriff), Lee Van Cleef, Denver Pyle, old timers Reed Howes, Jack Perrin and Franklyn Farnum and stuntman Boyd 'Red' Morgan. Some great action stuff from director Bruce Humberstone, better known for mysteries (several Charlie Chans, DRAGON MURDER CASE, I WAKE UP SCREAMING) and musicals (SUN VALLEY SERENADE, HELLO, FRISCO, HELLO). His only other westerns were LUCKY CISCO KID and FURY AT FURNACE CREEK. Screenwriter Kenneth Gamet was no stranger to sagebrush though, having scripted ADVENTURES IN SILVERADO, CANADIAN PACIFIC, DOOLINS OF OKLAHOMA, SAVAGE HORDE, SANTA FE, MAN IN THE SADDLE, A LAWLESS STREET, STRANGER WORE A GUN and others. Obviously, no stranger to a Scott western either.

 TRAIN TO TOMBSTONE (1950 Lippert)
STAGECOACH on a train as a diverse group of passengers head into Indian country. On board are a corset drummer (Wally Vernon), a minister (Bill Kennedy), two federal marshals (Robert Lowery, Claude Stroud), two dance hall gals (Barbara Stanley and Nan Leslie), a doctor (Tom Neal), an invalid girl (Judith Allen) and her mother (Minna Phillips), the conductor (Ed Cassidy) and an 'outlaw' - Don Barry. But then, all things are not as they seem. Film gets pretty claustrophobic on that one train set after a while and the battling Indians - off of rear projection screen - is scandalous. Directed by old timer William Berke who certainly knew how to squeeze $1.32 out of a dollar. Watch for Jack Perrin as a non-speaking passenger.

 WALK TALL (1960 Regal/20th Century Fox)
Army captain Willard Parker must bring to justice psychotic Indian hater/killer Kent Taylor before the Shoshone go on the warpath in retribution for Taylor's senseless massacres. Along the way Joyce Meadows, survivor of an Indian raid, joins the trio's trek ... with Taylor's men (led by Ron Soble) right on their tail. An A-script in a 60 minute B-format. Parker was usually a second lead (RELENTLESS, APACHE DRUMS, VANQUISHED, CALAMITY JANE AND SAM BASS) but finally reached stardom on TV's TALES OF THE TEXAS RANGERS. He parlayed that into leads in several B's like this one (NAKED GUN, LONE TEXAN, YOUNG JESSE JAMES). Produced and directed by Maury Dexter who didn't do enough westerns. Wonderfully photographed in the San Bernadino National Forest in CinemaScope and color by Floyd Crosby who started at the top with HIGH NOON then slowly drifted down to American International horror films.

 DRIFTING WESTWARD (1939 Monogram)
Jack Randall (and his pal Frank Yaconelli) help an old friend of his father's (Julian Rivero) and his daughter (Edna Duran). Rivero's brother (Octavio Giraud) and his men (led by Stanley Blystone) are terrorizing Rivero as they search for a map to the hidden Dutchman mine. Dean Spencer, who would soon become Monte 'Alamo' Rawlins in ADVENTURES OF THE MASKED PHANTOM, is one of Blystone's henchmen. Completely unmemorable with routine direction by Robert Hill except for the scene where Jack is tied up in a cabin with a pack of dynamite about to go off beside him. Rusty the Wonder Horse enters the cabin (at Jack's urging), picks up the fuse-burning dynamite, trots outside and drops it over a cliff. What a horse!

 VANISHING WESTERNER (1950 Republic)
With rampant lawlessness reaching its peak in Broken Bow, Arizona, special gubernatorial appointee Monte Hale is sent to investigate. Undercover, Monte is hired by the gang, led by Roy Barcroft. There are several unique plot twists that we won't give away and spoil the outcome for you in this remake of Kirby Grant's LAWLESS BREED ('46), both written by the skillful Bob Williams. Although an unusual, absorbing plot, it's somehow not right for Monte. Might have worked better as a Rocky Lane title. Also the overuse of 'green sets' in place of outdoor locations, especially during the final shootout in a fake grave yard, is a big detriment. The girl is Aline Towne (1929-1996), a former beauty queen from the Universities of Wisconsin and Iowa. She was Republic's last ditch effort at creating a new 'serial queen', placing her in six of its last serials (including TV's COMMANDO CODY).

 ROVIN' TUMBLEWEEDS (1939 Republic)
"Mr. Autry Goes To Washington" should have been the title, released only a month or so after Frank Capra's James Stewart classic MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON came along from Columbia. Talk about cashing in on an idea! However, director George Sherman was no Capra and Autry no Stewart. After a disastrous flood in Green River, ranchers are forced to abandon their land. Rancher Gene Autry turns radio singer to finance relief efforts and becomes so popular hes elected to congress with a flood control bill as his platform. His bill defeated in Washington, Gene returns home in the midst of a torrential storm helping the ranchers avoid a terrible flood from the raging river which makes everyone aware of the necessity for flood control. One of Gene's early 'environmental' westerns. Gene sings "Back In the Saddle" accompanied by the pure, clear voice of Nora Lou Martin and the Pals of the Golden West. (See BOSS OF HANGTOWN MESA.)

 DEADLINE (1948 Yucca, distributed by Astor)
Ex-Pony Express rider Sunset Carson aids a telegraph construction company owner, Pat Starling, to ward off owlhoots (Pat Gleason, Stephen Keyes, Lee Roberts) who intend to drive her out of business and reroute the telegraph over Gleason's property. Keyes, who had knocked around since the mid-'40s, later made two failed TV pilots as Rick O'Shay based on the popular comic strip. The obnoxious Phil Arnold, who aggravated viewers so well as Zerbo on TV's COWBOY G-MEN, is perfecting his undesirableness here as a medicine show man. A sense of deja vu sweeps over you when DEADLINE begins, as director Drake utilizes Frank Sanucci's Range Busters "Home On the Range" themesong under the credits. An irritating feature of DEADLINE is the endless riding insert shots of Carson and leading lady Pat Starling. An interminable nearly 10 minutes of film is taken up racing over the range! This group of Carson films were like dinosaurs from another era - underfunded, poorly directed by Oliver Drake, badly photographed by James Brown and populated with ample amounts of amateur actors - Al Terry, Joe Hiser, Forest Mathews and some truly awful and purely offkey campfire songs by Joe Hiser. Producer Walt Mattox was a throwback to the '30s era of shabby producers like Flora Douglas, Victor Adamson, Robert J. Horner and William Pizor who made westerns with little more than a once-was-boxoffice-name such as Buffalo Bill Jr., Jack Perrin or Bob Custer to lure in a few patrons. Mattox traded on Sunset's past reputation in much the same manor. His highpoint was probably HARMONY TRAIL, made in '44 and barely released til '47 under the title WHITE STALLION when Eddie Dean had acquired his own series at PRC and leading lady Ruth Roman had gone on to bigger things at Warner Bros. Mattox's good fortune in having cast them early on still does nothing to negate the film's abhorrent quality. His other contributions are the four Sunset Carson films in '48, of which this is one. Save for one even worse independent western, RIO GRANDE, a year later, these spelled the end of the trail for Sunset.

 BANDIT KING OF TEXAS (1949 Republic)
The Bandit King (a very shifty Jim Nolan) and his men (Lane Bradford, Robert Bice) operate a land swindle in Texas until Allan 'Rocky' Lane (helped by town jeweler Eddy Waller) investigates the murder of two of his friends (Danni Nolan, Richard Emory). Intricate plot well woven by Olive Cooper involves a U.S. Marshal (John Hamilton) who plans to buy land for his daughter-in-law (Helene Stanley) and son (Harry Lauter) who is being blackmailed over an old charge by Nolan. Rocky's horse Blackjack takes a more active part than usual as he saves Rocky's life in one scene. James (Jim) Nolan started in the mid '30s (BOY MEETS GIRL, MEN ARE SUCH FOOLS), worked a lot at RKO (DICK TRACY MEETS GRUESOME, ARIZONA RANGER) then made several at Republic with Lane, Hale and Rogers before becoming a respected character actor clear into the '70s (CHARLIE VARRICK, DIRTY HARRY, AIRPORT). He died in '85 at 69. Helene Stanley, on screen from the '40s, served as the artist's model for Walt Disney's SLEEPING BEAUTY. She also was 69 when she died in '91. This was her only B-western and her only film at Republic. Olive Cooper started writing in the '30s moving into Republic westerns with BORDER LEGION in '40. She wrote several others for Roy Rogers and Gene Autry (including KING OF THE COWBOYS and DOWN MEXICO WAY) and later Lane, Hale and Rex Allen as well as Gene Autry's BIG SOMBRERO at Columbia.

 VIVA CISCO KID (1940 20TH Century Fox)
Whether you're looking at the stunning Sedona locations or the gorgeous Jean Rogers, there's plenty to see in, probably, the best of the six Cesar Romero Cisco Kid B's. As usual, Cisco, in attempting to help a beautiful girl, gets involved with a gang of bandits, of which Rogers' father (Minor Watson) is one. Chris-Pin Martin as Gordito (aka Pancho) is at his funniest in this one, suffering through 'Boss' Stanley Fields' practical jokes. Watch for black comedian Mantan Moreland and western vets LeRoy Mason, Bud Osborne, Francis Ford, Tom London, Hank Worden and Eddy Waller.

 THREE TEXAS STEERS (1939 Republic)
The 3 Mesquiteers (John Wayne, Ray Corrigan, Max Terhune) ride to the aid of a girl (Carole Landis) whose circus is being sabotaged by her business manager (Ralph Graves) in order to force her to sell her ranch cheaply as Graves knows the ranch is valuable because the state wants to build a dam on the property. Then, he alone will be able to control water rights. Crash Corrigan plays a dual role - he also appears as a circus gorilla! Throw a comical trotting horse race into the mix and you have one of the more offbeat and entertaining Mesquiteer adventures. Eddie Dean's later to be sidekick, Roscoe Ates, is the Sheriff. This was Terhune's last as a Mesquiteer and Ray Corrigan was only two more in his contract away from departing the series as well. Corrigan, Terhune (w/John King), of course, formed the long running Range Busters a year later at Monogram.

 LAW FOR TOMBSTONE (1937 Universal)
Ranger Buck Jones goes after a gang of Wells Fargo stage bandits (Chuck Morrison, Alexander Cross) in Tombstone. A misfire in that the script builds up the boss, Twin Gun, to be the fastest, meanest hombre in Arizona, but at the end he (Earle Hodgins) runs like a rabbit and the highly anticipated showdown between he and Buck is nowhere to be found. The always easy to look at Muriel Evans proves herself a great screamer in this one. Watch for onetime silent star Bill Patton as an outlaw. In one scene, the new found success of the singing cowboy encroached on someone at Universal's decision to briefly turn Buck Jones into a singing ranger. Since this was a Buck Jones Production, perhaps it was Buck himself. In retrospect, a mistake. Buck appears quite uncomfortable with the whole scene. He needn't have tried to do musical combat with Autry and the others, his action oriented audience didn't want it and his films were still popular enough to withstand the onslaught of singing cowboys ... for a few more years anyway.

 FRONTIERSMEN (1938 Paramount)
Hopalong Cassidy proves himself a true 'Galahad of the West' as he helps an eastern schoolteacher (Evelyn Venable) overcome her doubts while he traps a mystery rustler, Charles A. Hughes as one of Hoppy's weaker-written villains. One of the kinder, gentler, character driven Hoppys making strong points for a good education. Former silent star William Duncan is once again Bar 20 owner Buck Peters and has some of his best scenes in the series. Young Dickie Jones is Peters' hell-raising nephew and is always a delight to watch. At 74 minutes, this is the 5th longest-running title in the Hoppy canon of 66 westerns. BORDERLAND gets top honors at 82 min.

 LAW BEYOND THE RANGE (1935 Columbia)
When a crusading newspaper publisher is killed by crooked politician Guy Usher, he bequeaths his newspaper to Tim McCoy, the son of the town's former sheriff. At the same time, Tim resigns from the Texas Rangers after he helps a falsely accused friend of his, Bob Allen, escape. Tim becomes publisher of the paper and helps the townsfolk (including a 'rustic' Walter Brennan) and the former publisher's daughter, lovely Billie Seward, brace themselves against Usher in the upcoming election for Sheriff. Meanwhile, Allen has tracked down the outlaw who framed him - and it turns out to be Tom London who works for Usher. Watch the way Tim slings his guns in the final shootout; he couldn't hit anything but the floor and ceiling with all that flailing around. He's often guilty of this 'for the movies' exaggerated gunslinging, but it seems even more pronounced here.

 TUMBLEDOWN RANCH IN ARIZONA (1941 Monogram)
Unique and original plot idea. In 1941, Western University of Tucson student John King studies the fourth dimension. He meets Ray Corrigan and together they discover they are the sons of Crash Corrigan and Dusty King of the Range Busters. When he's thrown from a horse at a rodeo and knocked cold, King 'does' go through the 4th dimension back to the old west where Dusty, Crash and Alibi (Max Terhune) get mixed up with crooked politicians. Pity, the exceptional premise only segues into a less then routine B-western with an uneventful windup. Screenwriter Milton Raison just wasn't talented enough to develop his plot beyond the initial concept.

 RAINBOW'S END (1935 First Division)
Hoot Gibson, the son of a stubborn but sincere financier, doesn't see eye to eye with his father. When Hoot and his pal, Charles Hill, wind up out west on John Elliott and daughter June Gale's ranch, Hoot soon becomes foreman, discovering the neighboring ranch belongs to his Dad and Warner Richmond who runs the place and is not only cheating his father but rustling Elliott and Gale's stock as well. Fast, witty script with elements of screwball comedy. This Hooter made me laugh out loud - several times. Much of the credit must go to screenwriter Rollo Lloyd who was primarily a comedic character actor and only wrote a few scripts. As a matter of fact, this is the only western he ever wrote or appeared in. Leading lady June Gale (to whom Hoot was romantically linked for a spell) was one of four Gale sisters - June, Jane, Joan, Jean - who appeared in vaudeville, George White's Scandals and at the Palladium in London. They split up when they went to Hollywood with June forging ahead in westerns with Hoot and Ken Maynard as well as CHARLIE CHAN AT TREASURE ISLAND, DEVIL DIAMOND, ONE IN A MILLION and THE JONES FAMILY IN HOLLYWOOD. Sister Jean was Tom Mix's leading lady in THE MIRACLE RIDER serial and Joan was Buck Jones' attraction in OUTLAWED GUNS and Harry Carey's LAST OF THE MOHICANS serial co-star. Jane was the odd lady out. Hoot's pal Charlie Hill was a former minstrel man. He died at 50, only three years after RAINBOW'S END. He's also in Hoot's LUCKY TERROR. Hoot's sister in this title is Ada Ince, a Miss Miami, Miss Florida and Miss United States beauty contest winner. One of her only three other films was with Bill Cody, FRONTIER DAYS. Former silent stars, and friends of Hoot's, Buddy Roosevelt and Fred Gilman have small roles.

 DANGER TRAILS (1935 Beacon)
The best of Big Boy Williams' sextet for Beacon has him coming west to find the father he's never seen (since age 2) only to find him (John Elliott) a notorious outlaw and Big has three outlaw half brothers (Ed Cobb, Wally Wales, Ace Cain). Big falls for Sheriff Steve Clark's daughter (Marjorie Gordon) and not only must make peace with his badman Dad but rescue the girl from his evil half brothers. Distinctive use of terrific Lone Pine locations. By the way, there's a scene where Big and his horse, Sonny, share an intimate moment, the hero really does kiss his horse! Max and Arthur Alexander, immigrant siblings from Germany, formed Beacon Pictures (and later Colony) in the '30s, producing westerns with Big Boy Williams (and Rex Bell and Ken Maynard at Colony). The Alexander brothers first became associated with movies in their native Germany, working for Universal in Frankfurt. Nephews of Universal honcho Carl Laemmle, they migrated to Hollywood with the coming of sound, forming Beacon in '34. The Alexander brothers, even though obviously working in the low budget independent end of B-westerns, somehow managed to give their pictures a bit classier, more professional look ... both the ones at Beacon and Colony (See IDAHO KID next.)

 IDAHO KID (1936 Colony)
A good story well told has Rex Bell, ousted by his father (Earl Dwire) after his wife's death at childbirth, returning home in the middle of an escalating feud between his Dad and the man who raised him (Lafe McKee). Bell is also helping a young kid (Dave Sharpe) go straight. Marion Shilling is Lafe's daughter and Charles King is Dwire's trouble-stirring foreman. The Alexander brothers (See DANGER TRAILS) formed Colony in 1936 (after their Beacon Films folded in '35) to make six B-westerns with Rex Bell who had just wrapped a quartet for Resolute. The Colony pictures were to be distributed on a state's rights basis by First Division but that company was merged with the newly formed Grand National after the first two Bells were released. Grand National released the final four Bells, including IDAHO KID.

 FLAMING LEAD (1939 Colony)
Ken Maynard switches place with alcoholic dude Dave O'Brien, as co-owner of a ranch with lovely Eleanor Stewart who has only ten days to deliver 3,000 horses to the Army or lose her contract. Unbeknownst to her, the Army agent (Tom London), the saloon owner (Walter Long) and her own foreman (Reed Howes) are in league to steal her horses and deprive her of the contract. Both Ken and Tarzan go through their bag of tricks - rope spinning, bowing, counting. Note the plageristic plot similarities to Zane Grey's DRIFT FENCE. Maynard had made two westerns in '37 for producer M. H. Hoffman (BOOTS OF DESTINY, TRAILIN' TROUBLE) which were released by Grand National. When Hoffman died in '38, Max and Arthur Alexander took over production of the last two GN releases, WHIRLWIND HORSEMAN and SIX SHOOTIN' SHERIFF. All money makers, the Alexanders signed Maynard for four more when Grand National folded and released them through their own reactivated (after a two year hiatus) Colony Pictures. This was the first, and probably best, of the four. Maynard was then off theatre screens for nearly three years until the Trail Blazers rode for Monogram in '43.

 KID COURAGEOUS (1935 Supreme)
A lot of who's in whose clothes switcheroos before Bob Steele as the son of eastern mine owner (Lafe McKee) clears up the mysterious disappearance of one of the mine's employees and the highgrading plot of Jack Cowell. Midway, the plot shifts to Cowell's connivance with the Aunt (Vane Calvert) of leading lady Renee Borden (uttering the worst Spanish accent since Pat Carlyle in IRISH GRINGO) to marry then do away with Borden to gain her inheritance. To show you how slow all this is, we get about 5 min. of time wasting Spanish dancers at the 20 min. mark. Borders on the slapstick at times when Bob, in long underwear up over his head, is chased by a posse and encounters a black maid with the expected results. Poorly directed by Bob's father with some very bad performances (some of them sounding like they're read off a cue card) by Jack Cowell, Barney Furey and others. Only some fast action at the end (including a sword fight!) saves this one. An off day for all concerned. Filmed concurrently with WESTERN JUSTICE which may explain some of its shortcomings.

 WESTERN JUSTICE (1935 Supreme)
Julian Rivero is chasing the man who robbed his daughter (a dark haired Renee Borden) and left her dead. Bob Steele is chasing the man (the same one) who robbed a store and left Bob's brother to take the blame. Sheriff Lafe McKee is also chasing the same man. Although none of them are aware of each other's quest for Arthur Loft, they join together and wind up in Mirage City smack dab in the middle of Jack Cowell's water shortage schemes. Bob falls for Cowell's niece (a blonde Renee Borden!). When Bob and his pals thwart Cowell's plans by dynamiting his dam, the water floods the valley-homes, ranches and all! Bob smiles, "The town wanted water, now they're gonna get it." Sure Bob, but ranches being swept away? Is this 'our hero'? In one startling scene, Rivero catches up with Loft and they fight over a knife. A scene later, Loft is found 'skinned alive'. Hear Bob Steele sing "Desert Breeze". I've heard worse. Filmed at the same time as KID COURAGEOUS, but much better.

 LONELY TRAIL (1936 Republic)
Following the Civil War, northern politicians - carpetbaggers (Cy Kendall's crowd) - gain control of a part of Texas where they terrorize citizens with their state police through a tax collection system of legalized murder and oppression. Returning home, former Union officer John Wayne and his partner Jim Toney join Kendall's state police to fight illegalities from within. With Dennis Moore, Ann Rutherford, Bob Kortman, Snowflake, Yakima Canutt. Routine but well handled by director Joe Kane. In the unusual sidekick category is Wayne's lanky, rustic Civil War buddy, Jim Toney, who plays it fairly straight in the vein of Raymond Hatton or Eddy Waller. This was possibly Toney's biggest role although he worked into the '50s, often in uncredited bit parts.

 BADLANDS OF DAKOTA (1941 Universal)
"In 1874 gold was discovered in Dakota Territory and the 7th Cavalry under General Custer was unable to keep out the hordes of white settlers who swarmed into the area. Thus was born the raw town of Deadwood." Rough and ready Deadwood saloon owner Brod Crawford sends his Eastern dude brother, Robert Stack, to bring 'his girl', Ann Rutherford, to him in Deadwood from St. Louis. But on the trip, Bob and Ann fall in love and are married by the time they arrive in Deadwood. Broken hearted, Brod turns to banditry in cahoots with Jack McCall (Lon Chaney Jr.). Through a turn of events, Stack is appointed Marshal to bring peace to the territory. Through all this plot, Universal stirs in historical events - Jack McCall shoots Wild Bill Hickok (Richard Dix, wasted in the small part); Custer (Addison Richards) arrives and heads for the Little Big Horn. Best of all, though, is Frances Farmer who steals the picture as Calamity Jane. Well mounted, fast paced, big budget western fun-cheapened by the typical Universal lowbudget shenanigans of Andy Devine and Fuzzy Knight and the canned, oft heard, Universal music cues. As well, the insertion of Hugh Herbert's broad comedy is completely misplaced. Are we watching a comedy short or a western? Director Alfred E. Green was not 'known for' westerns but had helmed Gene Autry's foray into 20th Century Fox, SHOOTING HIGH, the year before and in 1948 directed the critically acclaimed FOUR FACES WEST with Joel McCrea. Veteran B-director Ray Taylor shot the special location stagecoach sequences in South Dakota.

 ORPHAN OF THE PECOS (1937 Victory)
Tom Tyler, accused of the murder of Jeanne Martel's father (Lafe McKee), brings the real killer (Forrest Taylor) to justice. Martel and Tyler were married at the time this was made. Routine and uninspired. Ted Lorch, who usually played heavies, is a medicine show pitchman with a ventriloquist dummy. At one point, Lorch throws his voice, pretending to be Martel's dead father. Problem is - he's never heard the voice!

 LAST OF THE CLINTONS (1935 Ajax)
What a pure joy to watch an absolute pro like Harry Carey work, even in the low budget string of talkies he made for Ajax and Artclass. Seems Harry's excellent work inspired everyone else in the film to do a better than usual job - Tom London, Earl Dwire, Vic Potel, Slim Whitaker - even director Harry Fraser who wrote a better than average script under his alias Weston Edwards based on a story by Monroe Talbot (another of his many aliases according to my friend Mike Nevins [Films Of Hopalong Cassidy, etc.]). This is a fast, enjoyable hour. Oddly, Harry's pal, Vic Potel, is the Clinton referred to by the title - but nothing is ever made of the fact. Juvenile lead, Del Gordon, is not bad as outlaw Tom London's younger brother, but other than this, and Carey's WILD MUSTANG made the same year for Ajax, nothing was ever heard from him again. Carey made four westerns for Ajax, a company that only survived for a year in the glutted independent market, but all four, produced by William Berke, harkened back to the stark realism of Carey's silent starrers.

 SILENT CONFLICT (1948 United Artists)
The reason this hypnotic Hopalong Cassidy conflict is 'silent' is because you'll be sound asleep before this bore is over.

 GUNFIGHT (1961 Zenith/U.A.)
James Brown, fresh off his successful RIN TIN TIN TV series is an ex-cavalryman who joins brother Gregg Palmer on his ranch only to discover Palmer is head of a gang of rustlers. Disdainfully, Brown leaves to marry Joan Staley while conniving henchman Ron Soble convinces Palmer that Brown turned them in to the sheriff (Walter Coy) before leaving. That sets the stage for the title of this good little '60s B+ western. Jon Locke, who entertains with his banjo at many current film festivals, is one of Palmer's henchies. Co-written by Gerald Drayson Adams (w/Richard Schayer) who wrote some good A material in the '50s - BIG STEAL, DESERT HAWK, FLAMING FEATHER, HIS KIND OF WOMAN, DUEL AT SILVER CREEK, GAMBLER FROM NATCHEZ, CHIEF CRAZY HORSE and GUN BROTHERS ('56) w/ Buster Crabbe, of which GUNFIGHT is a remake. Adams later wrote two of Elvis' films - KISSIN' COUSINS and HARUM SCARUM. Producer Robert E. Kent began as a screenwriter in the late '30s and scripted dozens of B-films (CHARLIE CHAN IN RENO, Gas House Kids, Dick Tracy and several Gildersleeve titles, FALCON'S ADVENTURE, RED STALLION, BRAVE WARRIOR, FORT TI, etc.) before turning to producing in the late '50s, especially westerns in the early '60s, many of which were remakes of earlier westerns such as FRONTIER UPRISING (a remake of KIT CARSON), GAMBLER WORE A GUN (remake of LONE GUN), FIVE GUNS TO TOMBSTONE (remake of GUN BELT), NOOSE FOR A GUNMAN (remake of TOP GUN) etc. Director Edward L. Cahn's first western was LAW AND ORDER w/Walter Huston in 1932. He then strayed from the genre until hooking up with Kent for several in the early '60s.

 WEST TO GLORY (1947 PRC)
Singing cowboy Eddie Dean and trail-kick Roscoe 'Soapy' Ates must thwart three badmen (Gregg Barton, Zon Murray, Jimmy Martin) from stealing a Spanish Don's fabled Lopez diamond. One of Eddie's better B-westerns. One of the most original ideas in the history of B-westerns is a dream sequence in which Roscoe Ates becomes the hero and Eddie is the goofy sidekick. It's a hilarious idea, well executed. The one problem is, Eddie is almost 'too good' at playing the sidekick. Eddie's stuttering partner, Roscoe Ates (1895-1962) as Soapy, was a dopey faced stage and vaudeville comic prior to entering films in 1929. He appeared in CIMARRON in '31 as well as several Tom Keene RKO's and various Republics before saddling up for 15 with Dean from '46-'48. This was heavy Gregg Barton's (1912-2000) first role after discharge from the Tank Corps in WWII where he was awarded a Silver Star for bravery. Eddie and the Sunshine Boys do a great western swing number, "Cry, Cry, Cry", written by Eddie and songwriting partner Hal Blair.

 LAWLESS RIDERS (1935 Columbia)
After a promising start with an exciting runaway stagecoach, this Ken Maynard sags mightily then saves itself with a rousing windup at a hidden valley amongst the Alabama rocks of Lone Pine. To the detriment of this western, Frank Yaconelli sings a pitiful song pitifully ... three times! Worse yet, Ken takes his guitar and proves exactly why Gene Autry is recognized as the first singing cowboy. Even Ken agrees, saying at one point, "a lot of bum singing and playing if you ask me." Badman Harry Woods has the best line as he explains to Hal Taliaferro (in a good role as one of Ken's pals), "Slowness on the draw is the greatest social error of the west." Stuntman Cliff Lyons doubles Maynard as he often did.

 WARLOCK (1959 20TH Century Fox)
A vastly overlooked A-western directed by the late Edward Dmytrk. It was somehow lost in a year of very good westerns - HANGING TREE, GUNFIGHT AT DODGE CITY, LAST TRAIN FROM GUN HILL, NO NAME ON THE BULLET, RIDE LONESOME, YELLOWSTONE KELLY and RIO BRAVO. Henry Fonda and Anthony Quinn are the town tamers hired to rid Warlock of its outlaw element headed up by Tom Drake, De Forrest Kelley and, at first, Richard Widmark who soon tires of the killing and becomes the town sheriff, oddly pitting him against Fonda and Quinn who firmly believe cleaning up Warlock is solely their responsibility. The result is a tough, lean, violent western full of subplots and subtexts, not the least of which is the overt homosexual attraction towards Fonda by his friend Quinn. The outstanding cast took Dmytrk eight months to assemble. He called it 'the perfect cast' - Dorothy Malone, Richard Arlen, Wallace Ford, Frank Gorshin, Don Barry, Regis Toomey, L. Q. Jones, Ian MacDonald, Walter Coy. Not to be missed.

 OVERLAND TELEGRAPH (1951 RKO)
Tim Holt and Chito (Richard Martin) sign on as gunslingers for telegraph installers Gail Davis and her father Cliff Clark who are being plagued by Hugh Beaumont (the kindly father of TV's LEAVE IT TO BEAVER), ruthless as the saloon owner trying to stop the progress of the telegraph so the Army won't vacate the post. Beaumont's also placing the blame on his supposed 'friend' George Nader, because Beaumont has the hots for Nader's girl, Mari Blanchard. Nader, best known for being Rock Hudson's 'friend', is exceptionally whiney as the supply contractor losing his business because the Army is leaving the area. For whatever reason, Tim doesn't ride his palomino, Lightning, but rather a blaze faced sorrel. Tim is called Tim Holt in this one. Of his 29 postwar films, he was only 'Tim Holt' in eleven of them - including the last eight when RKO had obviously decided that was the best way to go. Dave was the other most used moniker for Tim. He was never Tim Holt in any of his pre-war westerns. Notice the 'gun' Chito keeps popping badman Fred Graham with is a rubber gun - as evidenced by its dull, dark all over color. Stuntman/actor Graham was later film coordinator for the state of Arizona.

 MARSHAL OF AMARILLO (1948 Republic)
A strange story of mystery and murder over $50,000 at a 'haunted' stage stop called Halfway House run by ghoulish night clerk Denver Pyle. Terrific spooky who-done-it twist that still operates within the confines of the Allan 'Rocky' Lane western format. With Trevor Bardette, Ray Barcroft, Mildred Coles. Another good screenplay from prolific Bob Williams.

 PRAIRIE RAIDERS (1947 Columbia)
The Durango Kid (Charles Starrett) brings gun law justice to wild mustang rustlers (Hugh Prosser, Ray Bennett, Lane Bradford, John Carson) who are poaching on government land leased by Robert Scott. Scott's girl is Nancy Saunders, looking 'Fine' in a pair of ultra tight blue jeans. Ozie Waters and his Colorado Rangers perform an exceptional pair of tunes. Robert Scott (also star of the Columbia serial BLACK ARROW) later changed his name to Mark Roberts and was seen on many western TVers as well as his own BROTHERS BRANNIGAN syndicated private-eye series.

 TRAIL OF THE HAWK (1935 Affiliated)
The history behind this dreadful film is far more interesting than the film itself. Producer J. D. Kendis turned out the cheapest possible product from the mid '30s to the late '40s under his Jay Dee Kay or Continental Films banner. Kendis is most closely associated with cheap exploitation films such as GUILTY PARENTS, GAMBLING WITH SOULS, SLAVES IN BONDAGE and HOLLYWOOD BURLESQUE. He often re-cut his '30s films for re-release under a new title in the '40s. for instance, TEEN AGE ('43) is a mixture of SLAVES IN BONDAGE and GAMBLING WITH SOULS. It was even reissued as late as 1959 as TEENAGE JUNGLE! THE HAWK, as it was originally known, was, thankfully, his only western. Usually, Kendis employed budget directors such as Elmer Clifton or Sam Newfield, but here he gave a first time directorial break to former film editor Edward Dmytryk. Dmytryk went on to make such film classics as TENDER COMRADE, MURDER, MY SWEET, CAINE MUTINY, BROKEN LANCE and THE CARPETBAGGERS. According to his autobiography, this picture was produced on a $5,000 budget by an 'amateur actress' from Long Beach. He possibly refers to leading lady Betty Jordan. This is her only film. She's passable but star Yancey Lane is as wooden as the ranch fence. (That ranch by the way is named the Triple X - that sure takes on a different connotation today!) Yancey's only other films, billed under Bruce Lane, were SILVERSPURS ('36) w/Buck Jones, TWO FISTED SHERIFF ('37) w/Charles Starrett and COME ON MARINES ('34). In a musical sequence in the bunkhouse, the film comes alive for a couple of minutes as a 7 or 8 year old Dickie Jones does a very lively dance to a bad western tune. In the '40s the film was reissued as TRAIL OF THE HAWK. Somewhere in the late '40s or early '50s, medicine show showman Ramblin' Tommy Scott got hold of the film, re-cut it to include additional footage of him, his wife (Frankie Scott) and others of their troupe, and used it on his road show. Apparently now, according to my friend Bill Russell, this awful 1935 quickie is to be once again resurrected as part of an in-production documentary on the life and career of Tommy Scott. Meanwhile, classic westerns such as ALBUQUERQUE with Randolph Scott go unseen! Go figger.

 SCARLET BRAND (1932 Big 4)
Bob Custer, mistaken for a rustler, is branded by cattlemen. Rescued by lanky Nelson McDowell, they set out to find the real rustlers but they too make a mistake and suspect honest rancher Frank Ball and his daughter Betty Mack when the real rustlers are Robert Walker and his boys. Starts off well for about 15 min. then bogs down midway with dull talk and facial pondering. Then in the end, it's actually McDowell that saves their bacon rather than Custer. Most viewers remember SUNDOWN RIDER ('33) w/Buck Jones and BRAND OF THE OUTLAWS ('36) w/Bob Steele, but this is the precursor 'branding the hero' B-western. Probably forgotten because of low distribution from Big 4 and the fact it's not as well done as the Jones or Steele films. Custer was at his prime in silents of the middle '20s and by the time sound rolled around he, like mid-range silent heroes, wound up in poverty row cheapies. Good chance to see what prolific William Nolte looks like. He plays Lefty and, save for a couple of other acting jobs, this was his only appearance in front of a camera. In Nolte's career, he was associated with well over 100 B-westerns as writer, assistant director or production manager.

 GOLDEN TRAIL (1940 Monogram)
The miners of Boom Town are being menaced by a murderous gang of claimjumpers known as the 'Ceegaret Gang' because of their practice of leaving the intended victim with a death threat written on cigarette paper. But the gang (Stanley Price, Chuck Morrison, Warner Richmond, Dick Cramer) bites off more than they can chaw when they try to jump the claim of Tex Ritter and Slim Andrews. Plenty of fights, gunplay, thrills, action, all set to Frank Sanucci's always popular music score. One of Ritter's best. Youngster Sugar Dawn, often credited as being in this, is not. Watch for Eddie Dean as one of the Ceegaret Gang.

 LAW OF THE LASH (1947 PRC)
Lash LaRue graduates from Eddie Dean films into his own PRC series here, but director Ray Taylor (who helmed the first fourteen LaRue titles), Lash and sidekick Fuzzy St. John didn't quite get the formula right until the second outing, BORDER FEUD. LAW OF THE LASH is tame and talky. From the second feature on, it was all action and comedy. Incidentally, for his first eight films, all at PRC, Lash was named Cheyenne Davis. He only became 'Lash LaRue' on screen when the series moved to Ron Ormond's Western Adventure Productions. Oddly, Lash actually calls Fuzzy his 'sidekick'. As common a word as it is among western writers and devotees, it's rarely used on film. Couple of casting switches - Charlie King, usually a dog heavy, is the Sheriff and 'Black' Jack O'Shea, usually third or fourth henchie through the door, gets to play boss in this one. Outlaw Ted French (Smitty) is actor Victor French's (LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, etc.) father. Stuntman Henry Wills plays two brief parts. At first he's a shotgun guard who gets gunned and later he's a member of the Sheriff's posse.

 LAST MUSKETEER (1952 Republic)
There's trouble when gun law tyrant James Anderson cuts off the water supply to valley ranchers in order to gain control of the whole valley so he can flood it, build a dam for electric power and charge exorbitant customer rates. A new twist on the age old land grab plot. Leading lady Mary Ellen Kay does a running mount without the aid of a double. She worked five days to get it right for director Bill Witney. Superb camera work and use of Vasquez Rocks. Rex Allen, Mary Ellen and the Republic Rhythm Riders sing a beautiful version of "Aura lee", which later was reworded to become Elvis' "Love Me Tender". This is the Allen film with the much talked about stunt where Rex 'runs over' three horses at a hitch rail to mount KoKo. One of Rex's best.

 OUTLAW EXPRESS (1938 Universal)
It takes 40 minutes of singing and romancing for Bob Baker and sidekick Don Barclay to swing into action against bandits who rob the pony express riders of registered Spanish land grants. There's a gun-blazing finale, but it's not enough to save the film, one of Baker's weakest efforts. Rousing songs by Fleming Allan who wrote material for films with Gene Autry, Sons of the Pioneers, Ray Whitley, Hoosier Hot Shots, Tex Ritter and many more for Baker. Unusual sidekick Don Barclay (1892-1975) came from the Ziegfeld Follies, moving into film in 1936. He's also a saddlepal to Bob Steele in BORDER PHANTOM and THUNDER IN THE DESERT and Tim McCoy in LION'S DEN. He then moved into A-films, well over 75 of them, playing all sorts of bumblers in such fare as BLACK LEGION, HONKY TONK, FALCON'S BROTHER, PITTSBURGH, THIS GUN FOR HIRE and FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN.

 SIX GUN JUSTICE (1935 Spectrum)
One of Bill Cody's better efforts. He's the son of an outlaw who has buried stolen loot. At first, Cody's reluctant to aid Marshal Donald Reed (looking spiffy enough to star in his own series) but eventually aids the wounded Marshal in finding the loot and capturing the rest of the owlhoots led by a nastier than usual Wally Wales. There must have been a shortage of actors as Budd Buster plays two roles! Well written (by Oliver Drake) and directed by Canadian born Robert Hill (1886-1966), no stranger to westerns and serials since silents. When he had a buck or two, Hill turned out some more than competent westerns (with Tom Keene, Tom Tyler, Rex Bell) and serials (BLAKE OF SCOTLAND YARD, FLASH GORDON'S TRIP TO MARS). Note - many references cite badmen Roger Williams and Jimmy Aubrey in the cast, but we never spotted them.

 PRAIRIE EXPRESS (1947 Monogram)
Plenty of hard riding thrills as Johnny Mack Brown and Raymond Hatton bust a gang of range rats (William Ruhl, Marshall Reed, Ted Adams) who are raiding Virginia Belmont's freight wagons to bankrupt her and grab her ranch. Fingerprinting plays an important part in the story. Watch for Hank Worden as a deputy. Former child star Robert Winkler (1927-1989) (OUR GANG comedies, BLUE MONTANA SKIES, CHEROKEE STRIP, GUN CODE, RIDERS OF PASCO BASIN, etc.) is twenty here and totally wasted and unnecessary as leading lady Virginia Belmont's (another lost lady) younger brother.

 BILLY THE KID'S ROUND-UP (1941 PRC)
Fuzzy Q. Jones For Sheriff! When crusading sheriff Slim Whitaker is killed, it's up Billy the Kid (Buster Crabbe), Jeff (Carleton Young) and Fuzzy to oppose badman Charlie King who's running for sheriff under the guidance of town boss Glenn Strange and his henchies Dennis Moore and Kenne Duncan. Gorgeous gray-eyed Joan Barclay is the crusading lady newspaperwoman.

 ACROSS THE SIERRAS (1941 Columbia)
Hardcase Dick Curtis returns to town after six years in prison to even the score with storekeeper John Dilson and Bill Elliott (as Wild Bill Hickok), the two men who framed him into jail. But 'peaceable man' Elliott has plans to buy a section of land and settle down. Dub 'Cannonball' Taylor is his sillyphone playing sidekick and Richard Fiske (Elliott's partner from his OVERLAND WITH KIT CARSON serial) is Bill's misguided pal. The real twist to this one is that Bill actually falls in love with and plans to marry Luana Walters! However, she requires Bill to hang up his guns first and really become a 'peaceable man'. Can he do it with Curtis pushing him hard? An unusual bittersweet ending for a B-western.

 LAND OF THE SIX GUNS (1940 Monogram)
Jack Randall and Louise Stanley were married when they made this one-and it shows. Unfortunately, they didn't stay that way. They'd been seeing each other for some time when they were married in February '40. They separated in May '40 (just when this film was released) with the divorce being final in February '41. Cattle rustlers (Steve Clark, George Chesebro, Kenne Duncan and former star Jack Perrin) make great use of Bronson Cave, one of the most used locations in the L.A. area for not only B-westerns but sci-fi and action flicks as well. Originally, a quarry for construction of L.A.'s first street car system, the Bronson Canyon area (now part of the 4,000 acre Griffith Park) has been in use since 1919 when Jack Hoxie's silent serial LIGHTNING BRYCE used the canyon while some of the quarry equipment was still in place. Possibly its best known use is as the entrance to the underground city of Murania in Mascot's 1935 PHANTOM EMPIRE serial with Gene Autry. Parts of the SUPERMAN serial, John Wayne's SAGEBRUSH TRAIL, Durango Kid's DESERT VIGILANTE, IT CONQUERED THE WORLD, ROBOT MONSTER, RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY, Hoppy's LEATHER BURNERS, MYSTERY MOUNTAIN serial and hundreds more-even the climax to John Ford's classic THE SEARCHERS lensed at Bronson Canyon. Randall's sidekick, Glenn Strange (!), sings a pretty ballad about "Carol". Former silent 'kid star' Buzz Barton is among the riders in this one.

 FAR FRONTIER (1948 Republic)
The best of the later Roy Rogers westerns were written by Sloan Nibley and directed by William Witney. This is one of them-with a savage, brutal storyline in which vicious gangsters smuggle deported criminals back into the country in huge tin drums. When smugglers Roy Barcroft (disheveled and meaner looking than usual, if that's possible), Lane Bradford and Holly Bane are discovered by border patrolman Clayton Moore (during his year-off salary dispute with the Lone Ranger execs), they cold bloodedly push the men trapped in the barrels off the truck, down a hillside into a reservoir where the drums, and men, sink in the lake. Criminals or not, this is a violent way to die. And in a Roy Rogers picture! The brutal trio also slug Moore and leave him to die in the woods, then report to their boss, Robert Strange. Eventually, Moore wanders back to civilization, dazed and confused, suffering from amnesia. How Roy, Gail Davis, Andy Devine, Foy Willing and the Riders of the Purple Sage and Francis Ford (John's older brother) as Moore's dad bring these inhuman killers to justice makes for one of the best of Rogers' late '40s Republics. Part of the plot involves homing pigeons, a sport Roy participated in for years. Originally made in Trucolor, unfortunately, no color prints seem to exist today.

 CAVALCADE OF THE WEST (1936 Diversion)
The old saw about two young brothers, separated after outlaws (led by Earl Dwire) raid their parents wagon, who grow to manhood with one (Hoot Gibson) becoming a pony express rider and the other an outlaw (Rex Lease). Dreary, plodding B that aspires to lofty proportions far beyond the capability of its low budget allotments. Epic just wasn't in Harry Fraser's directorial reach. An Indian attack looks like two or three renegades. A major 'town' is a few ramshackle buildings of the old Brandeis Ranch set. The 'wagon train' stock dissolves into one lonely wagon. Hideous musical score is distracting and inappropriate for the scenes and often just plain annoying. Hoot's 1860 period costume makes him look foolish. The so-called 'comic character' of Windy (Adam Goodman) makes one yearn for the comic 'genius' of Guy Wilkerson or Slim Andrews. It's Goodman's only film-he probably became a dentist!

 ROUND-UP TIME IN TEXAS (1937 Republic)
Gene Autry's strangest western! Gene's brother (Kenny Cooper) wires him from South Africa to bring all the horses he can roundup to help with the diamond mine he's just discovered in the Valley of Superstition. Jive singing black children. Smiley in blackface. Ray Corrigan in his ape suit. A native chieftain in a top hat. Natives in fright wigs. Completely ludicrous! Patrons must have walked out of the theatre scratching their heads, "What was that?" Has to be seen to be believed. It's to Autry's credit that he still had an audience for his next picture after they'd seen this loser. Leading lady Maxine Doyle was Republic director Bill Witney's wife. For the record, Gene kisses her at the end.

 TONTO BASIN OUTLAWS (1941 Monogram)
Set in 1898, the Range Busters (Ray 'Crash' Corrigan, John King and Max Terhune) enlist in the Army during the Spanish American War and are sent (in cowboy clothes) to Wyoming, where Crash 'grew up', to track down rustlers stealing government contract cattle intended to feed troops. Revisiting his youth, we get to see Crash give the ridiculous 'Chipmunk' password - Wahoo! Newspaperwoman Jan Wiley, undercover as a small restaurant owner, individually suspects each of the Busters as a rustler. Better than average part for 'the girl'. Sometimes in their films, the vying-for-the-girl banter between Crash and Dusty seems strained or silly, but this one's handled very naturally, however the whole film's a bit tongue-in-cheek.

 GANGS OF SONORA (1941 Republic)
Call the 3 Mesquiteers! (Bob Livingston, Bob Steele, Rufe Davis) Make Wyoming a state and stop the lawlessness running rampant in the territory instigated by sly Robert Frazer and his toughs - Bud Geary, Buddy Roosevelt and others. (Roosevelt, of course, had been a star of many silent westerns and a handful of low budget B-talkies in the '30s.) Real trouble comes when honest newspaperman William Farnum is gunned down. Old time newspaperwoman Helen MacKellar takes over when she discovers her son Bud McTaggert is acting as a crooked lawyer for Frazer. Homely leading lady June Johnson is the daughter of comedian Chic Johnson of Olsen and Johnson fame. This film is a western character players delight. Watch for Budd Buster, Curley Dresden, Bud Osborne, Jack Kirk, Herman Hack, Jack O'Shea, Wally West, Hal Price, Al Taylor. As good as they come!

 FIGHTING BILL FARGO (1941 Universal)
Fighting Bill Fargo (Johnny Mack Brown) returns to his hometown to run his late father's newspaper - but it's in co-ownership with crooked Earle Hodgins. Crooked politician James Blaine, the in-his-pocket sheriff Kenneth Harlan and gunman Ted Adams run the town so it's up to Johnny, his sister Nell O'Day and photographer Fuzzy Knight to expose their schemes. OK Brown, but the menace is weak and there's nothing to make it rise to the top in his Universal canon of titles. A plus is that Fuzzy Knight does not get to sing! Nell O'Day sings "Happiness Corral" with the Eddie Dean Trio.

 THE FIGHTING TEXAN (1937 Ambassador)
Kermit Maynard rounds up horse thief and murderer Ed Cassidy in a terrific western murder mystery. Exciting riding/chase sequences all over Vasquez Rocks (exactly today as they were in B-western days, about 50 minutes outside of L.A. on Hwy 14), an intelligent script, a stirring score, swift and expert direction (Charles Abbott) and sound camera work (Jack Greenhalgh) with several interesting transitions show what a little care can do with a medium budget B-western. Running gag has Budd Buster looking for 'a little black bear'. Many of Kermit's movies in his Ambassador series were far better made than the average B-western of the day. Interestingly, the competence behind the success of THE FIGHTING TEXAN is obviously cinematographer Greenhalgh, as this is the only film (other than the awful ADVENTURES OF THE MASKED PHANTOM) Abbott ever directed! Meanwhile, Greenhalgh began a very successful 20 year career in 1935 filming Tim McCoy, Johnny Mack Brown and other Kermit Maynard titles. Along the way he lensed many B-westerns with Buster Crabbe, George Houston, Bob Steele and Cisco Kid. Why most of his excellent work is at PRC is a mystery. Look at these well known non-western B-films he added to the success of: REEFER MADNESS, TORTURE SHIP, BEASTS OF BERLIN, Mantan Moreland's all black comedy MR. WASHINGTON GOES TO TOWN, MAD MONSTER, DEAD MEN WALK, FLYING SERPENT, GAS HOUSE KIDS and LOST CONTINENT. He wound up with the low budget cult favorite ROBOT MONSTER. The girl is beautiful Elaine Shepard whose only other western is LAW OF THE RANGER with Bob Allen. (She's also a showgirl in Autry's SINGING VAGABOND.) Signed for a while to RKO, she went on to write two books (one based on her firsthand observations as a war correspondent in Vietnam) and formed a production company intending to bring her books to the screen. Well known for her statement, "The powers that be in Hollywood have a complete lack of faith in the professionalism of women when it comes to movie production."

 POWDER RIVER RUSTLERS (1949 Republic)
"The growth of the railroad meant the end of a turbulent era of violence and bloodshed to El Dorado on the Powder River." In this case, the town's tailor, Shears (Francis McDonald), devises a plot using a fake railroad agent (Douglas Evans) to steal the town's cash accumulated for a railway bridge. Enter Allan 'Rocky' Lane, whose old friend is the real RR agent (Bruce Edwards). Rocky and fib-telling Nugget Clark (Eddy Waller) break up the scheme. Rocky and Roy Barcroft have another of their tough knock-down-drag-outs at the end-in which Barcroft brutally stabs Rocky with scissors in his right arm, forcing Rocky to polish off Roy with only his left arm. Directed by John Ford's nephew, Phil Ford, who helmed many of the Lane titles. Ford, not to be confused with the comedian, acted in his uncle's and father's (Francis Ford) silent films beginning when he was only five.

 BORDER GUNS (1935 Aywon)
Secret serviceman Bill Cody is after Mexican rustlers and the man who killed his brother. There's a bit more of the eternal triangle (Cody - Franklyn Farnum - Janet Morgan) than action in this Robert J. Horner directed ultra cheapie. He was so ashamed, even screenwriter Oliver Drake used a pseudonym (Ollie Milliken) for screen credit. Director Horner had both legs amputated at the hips while still a youngster. He got around on a platform with wheels. He'd sit on that and wheel himself around with his hands. He owned a car equipped so he could drive it with no legs. Owned by Nathan Hirsh, Aywon, the lowest of the lowly, was founded in New York City in 1919 and operated til the mid '30s. The cast saves this one from 'the Can'. Besides Cody and leading lady Janet Morgan (aka Blanche Mehaffey) we have former silent stars Franklyn Farnum, William Desmond, Fred Church, Wally Wales and George Chesebro. The film's pressbook claims the ending has a "novel twist, involving two beautiful girls, a doctor supreme, unchallenged friendship, and a tempo of speed and galloping horses whirling to a sensational unexpected climax". Hmmmm - not the same film we saw!

 RIDERS OF THE SANTA FE (1944 Universal)
Crooked town boss George Douglas (and his henchies Lane Chandler, Earle Hodgins, Dick Alexander) appoints Fuzzy Knight as a figurehead Mayor he can control, but the scheme backfires when Fuzzy brings in famous lawman Rod Cameron as town marshal who quickly hires singing Ray Whitley as his deputy and imposes a no-gun-totin' law. Douglas also seems to control water rights in the town causing lots of trouble for trail herder Eddie Dew and his sister Jennifer Holt (who is really a fifth wheel in this one). Whitley warbles some Oliver Drake and Fleming Allan songs. (Drake also produced.) Eddie Dew also sings, as does - unfortunately - Fuzzy Knight. Budd Buster, who was in God knows how many westerns in the 1930s-'40s, has a nice part. Big action windup as the badguys try to create roast beef on the hoof.

 CYCLONE ON HORSEBACK (1941 RKO)
Dennis Moore and his sister Marjorie Reynolds need the horses Tim Holt, Ray Whitley and Lee 'Lasses' White are bringing in so they can complete the stringing of the telephone wire in the valley. But sneaky Harry Worth has his own plans to be awarded the telephone contract if Moore misses his deadline - and Worth does all he can to see that Moore does. Last ten minutes is solid action. Couple of firsts here - Lee 'Lasses' White (1888-1949), who had played a few parts in westerns prior to this (TRAILIN' WEST, PAINTED STALLION serial, OKLAHOMA RENEGADES), gets his first regular sidekick role as Whopper (replacing Emmett Lynn who was Whopper in the first four Holts. Even before that - Lynn inherited the Whopper moniker from Chill Wills who had used it in the George O'Brien RKOs). Lasses did eight with Holt before joining Jimmy Wakely in 1944 for a series at Monogram. Cliff 'Ukelele Ike' Edwards replaced both Lasses and Ray Whitley in the RKO Holts. Before movies, Texas born Lee White had a 28 year career in blackface minstrel shows, first with Al G. Fields Minstrels then with his own 'Lasses' White All Star Minstrels. The 'Lasses' came from when he'd teamed with Honey Boy Evans on the Fields circuit as Honey and Lasses. This is also Terry Frost's first western - as a badman, naturally. Leading lady Marjorie Reynolds made quite a few westerns and was later William Bendix's TV wife on THE LIFE OF RILEY. Watch for Eddie Dew, star of a few of his own at Republic and Universal, as one of Dennis Moore's linemen.

 LIGHTNING STRIKES WEST (1940 Colony)
It's the end of a long, illustrious trail for Ken Maynard, one of the Top 10 western stars of all time. His biggest stardom came in the '20s in silent westerns for First National. As sound progressed, Ken's popularity began to fade. After a good run at Universal in the early '30s, he fell on hard times in poverty row Bs that slowly became cheaper and cheaper until he reached the nadir for a set of four at Colony, of which this was the last, but not the worst. That distinction goes to DEATH RIDES THE RANGE, second in the group. A brief return to glory three years later co-starring with Hoot Gibson as the Trail Blazers was all that was left for Ken Maynard. Here U.S. Marshal Ken plays a lone hand tracking down escaped convict Michael Vallon and his partner Charlie King. At one point, Ken poses as a hobo and saloon swamper. Good ole 'no-retakes for whatever reason' director Harry Fraser lets a real boo-boo get by. Some off-screen voice can be heard saying, "That's the cue - should have got the other boot, too" when Ken and Robert Terry are tied up in a cabin.

 STREETS OF GHOST TOWN (1950 Columbia)
A hunt for stolen loot hidden in a ghost town by doublecrossing outlaws (Frank Fenton and George Chesebro) brings Charles Starrett (The Durango Kid), Smiley Burnette and Sheriff Stanley Andrews (The Old Ranger of TV's DEATH VALLEY DAYS) to investigate. By telling the story in flashback form it allows stock footage from LANDRUSH ('46) and other Durango titles to be used. But it works - and well, thanks to screenwriter Barry Shipman and director Ray Nazarro (who couldn't remember anybody's name, so it was always "Hey, Mister ..."). With Mary Ellen Kay (in her first western) and Don Reynolds (Little Beaver in the Jim Bannon Red Ryders).

 LONE RIDER IN FRONTIER FURY (1941 PRC)
Eastern girl Hillary Brooke comes west to run the ranch left to her by her murdered father (John Elliott). Framed for the killing is George Houston - The Lone Rider - who brings the real killers (Ted Adams, Karl Hackett, Tom London) to justice. Nice little performance by Virginia Card as Midge, outlaw Hackett's daughter, who sings a duet ("A Love That Ended Too Soon") with George. Brooke became Lou Costello's 'girlfriend' on the Abbott and Costello TV show.

 PHANTOM OF THE RANGE (1936 Victory)
Using one of their men cloaked in a white robe, riding a white horse at night, a gang of thieves (Forrest Taylor, John Elliott, Charlie King) is propagating the myth that the ghost of a miserly rancher is still riding the range. It's rumored the old skinflint kept a treasure hidden somewhere on the ranch, so the crooks hope to scare away Tom Tyler and prospective buyers untill they locate the treasure. Filmed amongst the Alabams in Lone Pine, California. Sam Katzman operated Victory from 1935-1940, turning out two serials and 30 features, 17 of them westerns with Tyler and Tim McCoy. Katzman closed Victory and moved into a production arrangement at Monogram from '40-'47 where he produced East Side Kids, Teenagers and Bela Lugosi films. In 1947 he joined Columbia to produce serials and features, then, surprisingly, in the late '50s became a producer at MGM. Still later, Katzman formed Four Leaf, to make horror and teenage pictures for release by Columbia and AIP.

 COWBOY BLUES (1946 Columbia)
It's the old Gene Autry plot. Ranch handyman (Guy Kibbee) has told his daughter (Jeff Donnell) who's been back east in school, that he's a big ranch owner. Daughter shows up out west unexpectedly with her fiancé (Robert Scott). So the ranch manager (Ken Curtis) and the boys (the Hoosier Hot Shots, Big Boy Williams) make believe Kibbee really owns the ranch. Trouble sets in when the real owner (Al Bridge) pops up. Also with Carolina Cotton, Deuce Spriggens Band. Over a dozen songs. With their mix of music, comedy and a little adventure, this series of Ken Curtis/Hoosier Hot Shots 'westerns' were most certainly an acquired taste. Many fans still refuse to watch them to this day, even though a couple were out and out westerns (OVER THE SANTA FE TRAIL, THAT TEXAS JAMBOREE).

 LAST STAND (1938 Universal)
Director Joseph H. Lewis (1907-2000) turns a routine 'Bob Baker goes undercover as an outlaw to find the rustlers - killers of his father' story into an interesting hour via his always fluid and intriguing camera angles and scene setups. With Fuzzy Knight, Earle Hodgins (misspelled Earl Hudgins in credits), Glenn Strange. Watch for the scene early on where a stagecoach bandit takes an obviously for-real horse spill. Wisely, director Lewis left it in.

 LARAMIE TRAIL (1944 Republic)
Convoluted, confusing and unusual Bob Livingston western murder mystery based on the 1929 novel, MYSTERY AT SPANISH HACIENDA. Mistaken identity, blackmail, impersonation, murder, robbery and lost brothers all tie together neatly, I reckon, if you can follow it all. Republic certainly wasn't aiming at 7-10 year old Saturday matinee kids with this one - they could never follow it. I've seen it three times and I still can't explain all of it! Needs Charlie Chan to come in at the end and lay it all out! Some Livingston fans think it's his best - I don't.

 EMPTY HOLSTERS (1937 Warner Bros.)
The better the villain, the better the hero looks, and Emmett Vogan's murderous, lecherous Ace Cain is one of the nastiest villains in B-western history as he railroads Dick Foran into prison for five years just because they dote on the same girl, Pat Walthall. When Foran is released, look out! Usual heavy Glenn Strange is Dick's sidekick. Strange (1899-1973) was versatile enough that he could get away with this every now and then. Strange wound up his over forty years in primarily western films playing Sam the bartender on TV's GUNSMOKE. Watch for the terrific close-up of silent star Neal Hart as Pete.

 BORROWED TROUBLE (1948 United Artists)
Hopalong Cassidy and Andy Clyde teach school. That's about as exciting as this one gets when a schoolmarm (Anne O'Neal) stirs up trouble between two saloon keepers (John Parrish and Cliff Clark). Eilene Janssen, later of the Rough Ridin' Kids, is one of the school children.

 SADDLE SERENADE (1945 Monogram)
When a staged holdup for the benefit of Nancy Brinkman's dude ranch customers turns into the murder of an undercover Marshal, Jimmy Wakely and his Saddle Pals (Lee 'Lasses' White and John James - replacing Dennis Moore after two films) hit the singing cowboy trail to trap a gang of diamond smugglers headed up by Jack Ingram, Pat Gleason and Claire James from a secret hideout in the dude ranch icehouse. But, hold it-before we swing into action, let's stop and sing nine songs including western favorites "Cool Water" and "Happy Day" by Jimmy and Foy Willing's Riders of the Purple Sage. Produced and directed by Oliver Drake (later to be Jimmy's manager) and written by Frances Kavanaugh. While the ariatic voices of Fred Scott, Dick Foran, George Houston and James Newill were wrong for western music, Jimmy Wakely's blend of easy, relaxed western/swing/pop was just perfect. His B-westerns are often overlooked on the bases of his small stature, but if you give his films a chance, especially the ones with some great music, you'll discover a wonderful singing cowboy. While none of them reach greatness, many of them are action packed with plenty of great music.

 PRAIRIE ROUNDUP (1951 Columbia)
Charles Starrett charged with the murder of the Durango Kid! How could this be, when-well, we can't tell you that, all we can say is Durango and Smiley Burnette help leading lady Mary Castle save her cattle from Santa Fe rustlers Frank Fenton, Don Harvey and Lane Chandler. The Sunshine Boys sing a couple of songs and ... Smiley bests John Cason in a fistfight with no help from Starrett! Especially well directed by Fred Sears with some unusual (for the Durango series) camerawork. As usual, musical director Mischa Bakaleinikoff's music scores are exhilarating and energy charged, an added plus for the '50s Durango Kids (as well as the Autry Columbias).

 MESQUITE BUCKAROO (1939 Metropolitan)
Dirty doings at the rodeo as Charlie King and Carleton Young kidnap rodeo hot-shot Bob Steele to hedge their big money bets. Really made on the cheap with a full 20 minutes of rodeo stock footage midway with some of the silliest looking 'riding inserts' you'll ever see. VARIETY tradepaper once wrote, "No more slipshod westerns were ever ground out than this present series". When Steele next moved to PRC for the Billy the Kid titles, it was a step up ... and that's a bold statement! This was leading lady Carolyn Curtis' first movie. A year later she was Clarissa Curtis for Tex Ritter's PALS OF THE SILVER SAGE (4/40) and Clarene Curtis for Jack Randall's KID FROM SANTA FE (5/40). All the name changes couldn't improve her thespic abilities and she was never heard from again. Steele's partner Bruce Dane sang in three of these bottom of the barrel Steele Metropolitan oaters, as well as Harry S. Webb-owned Metropolitan's non-western PORT OF HATE ('39). It's obvious producer Webb had thoughts about developing Dane into a singing cowboy. With the short Steele series over, Dane only appeared in one other film, Tim Holt's WAGON TRAIN at RKO in 1940. Following that he disappeared. No loss.

 PALS OF THE SILVER SAGE (1940 Monogram)
Tex Ritter and mule riding saddlepal Slim Andrews ('Hi-Ho Josephine') save little Sugar Dawn's ranch from rustlers Glenn Strange and Carleton Young. The action is good but Tex's songs are nursery-rhymeish, probably due to the introduction to the B-western world of youngster Sugar Dawn. Credit producer Edward Finney for that one - however you view the cowgirl Shirley Temple. Finney reportedly used her briefly in Ritter's THE GOLDEN TRAIL, although after viewing that film, we do not find her present. Bob Tansey, who wrote the script for PALS OF THE SILVER SAGE and was production supervisor, obviously noticed Sugar's 'potential' and snapped her up for five of his eight produced Tom Keene B's at Monogram a year later. After that, Sugar vanished into obscurity. The leading lady is Clarrisa Curtis. (See KID FROM SANTA FE, MESQUITE BUCKAROO for more on her unsolved mystery.) Tex Ritter went through sidekicks like Henry VIII went through wives. Fuzzy Knight, Syd Saylor, Hank Worden, Horace Murphy, Snub Pollard, Hal Price, Martin Garralaga, Roscoe Ates - and Slim Andrews, who was one of the longer lasting, along with the team of Murphy/Pollard. Picture was filmed on the bleak Tejon Ranch in Lebec, CA.

 WESTERN CYCLONE (1943 PRC)
Badmen Glenn Strange and Charlie King are making Governor Karl Hackett look, to an investigating senator, like Hackett's in cahoots with outlaws so they can take over the state themselves. Since Billy the Kid (Buster Crabbe) is friendly with the governor, they also frame Billy for the back shooting of Jack Ingram with whom Billy had a brawl in the saloon. For those keeping track of cowboys in drag, Fuzzy St. John dresses up as a lady to fool the unbilled Lou Fulton (see GUN CODE) as a dim witted, stuttering deputy. Leading lady Marjorie Manners is another of those cute gals who came and went in the '40s within a five year period ('42-'47). Manners had leads in five PRC and Monogram westerns and second leads in non-westerns (A NIGHT FOR CRIME, HARVEST MELODY). Where is she today? Incidentally, Karl Hackett is referred to as the 'governor of the state' but New Mexico (where Billy the Kid roamed) wasn't a state til 1907!

 WAGON WHEELS WESTWARD (1945 Republic)
Roy Barcroft and his outlaw band (Dick Curtis, George Chesebro, Tom London, Bud Geary, Kenne Duncan) inhabit a deserted town in order to perpetrate a land fraud on wagon train leader Red Ryder (Bill Elliott) and his friends (The Duchess-Alice Fleming and Jay Kirby, Linda Stirling) leading to plenty of action. "That's what happens when you rile a peaceable man." Elliott has one of the best saloon brawls of the Ryder series with Dick Curtis. Watch as Elliott signs a hotel registry for the Duchess. He writes Martha Wentworth's name! However, in 1945 Alice Fleming was playing the Duchess in Elliott's Red Ryder titles. Martha Wentworth didn't become Auntie Duchess until Allan Lane took over the series a full year later. As a matter of fact, in 1945 Wentworth wasn't even employed by Republic! A no-prize to the first one that puzzles out this anomaly.

 GUNSLINGER (1956 American Releasing Corp.)
It's the old railroad is coming land grab plot with a few twists. Saloon owner Allison Hayes is behind the plot. She hires gunslinger John Ireland to do away with Marshal Beverly Garland (who took over her husband's job when he was gunned down) but Ireland falls for Garland complicating matters. Good cat-fight between Garland and Hayes who Garland says "broke her arm on purpose" during shooting "probably to get off this terrible movie". Great use of Jack Ingram's town location. Watch for B-western star Kermit Maynard as an extra amongst the townspeople.

 DANGER AHEAD (1940 Monogram)
Modern day armored truck bandits (headed by Dick Rich) kill young Dave Sharpe in a gold robbery then are brought to justice by Royal Canadian Mounties Renfrew (James Newill) and Corporal Kelly (Dave O'Brien) abetted by Inspector Guy Usher's amateur criminologist daughter, Dorothea Kent. Oddly, all the Canadian locations mentioned - Coldwater Canyon, Fullerton - are California locales. The history of the eight film Renfrew series, based on the 1936-1940 radio show starring House Jameson, is checkered. The first film, RENFREW OF THE ROYAL MOUNTED (9/37) saw life at Grand National under producer Al Herman, as did the second, ON THE GREAT WHITE TRAIL (7/38), released ten months after the first title. Grand National then went out of business. Phil Krasne picked up the production reins a year and half later (12/39) and released six more Renfrews through Monogram, becoming more modern in nature as the series progressed with the last two involving deadly rays and airplanes. (See SKY BANDITS.) This one's nicely handled by director Ralph Staub who'd helmed a couple of Autrys and a Johnny Mack Brown. He left features in '40 to devote full time to Columbia's SCREEN SNAPSHOTS series. Cinematographer Mack Stengler, who broke into films in the mid '20s, accomplishes some neat overhead view camera work of a fight sequence in a warehouse. Stengler was an asset - he went on to film many movies with Frankie Darro, Bela Lugosi, East Side Kids, Joe Palooka, Teenagers and other Monogram fare. Also the last twelve Hopalong Cassidy titles at United Artists.